State Trivia Drabbles 2
by Lizard Pie
Summary: A series of 100 word challenges based on US state facts. OC's used.
1. Alabama

Fact: Alabama is the only state without an official nickname.

* * *

><p>He'd been distant the day his siblings (likely quite drunk) had decided to assign nicknames to one another. That these were generally longer, and more impractical, than their normal names didn't seem to bother anyone.<p>

Despite his absence, they'd been considerate enough to make him one. He'd accepted begrudgingly, and dismissed it rather quickly.

He was fine enough with the name he'd been given already, though he supposed that wasn't enough for fancier states. It was harmless fun that kept them out of his hair, though. If they wanted to assign him a name every so often, so be it.


	2. Alaska

Fact: One of the (many) original border conflicts between the US and Canada over Alaska was that Canadian rivers were being used for shipping without permission.

* * *

><p>They were furious. They shot and screamed at the boat whenever the opportunity presented itself. The man he was now supposed to see as a father figure reacted with rude gestures when he bothered to react at all.<p>

This trade route he'd discovered was the quickest and safest, and he wasn't about to let something like international relations get in his way.

Alaska didn't know what he could say or do other than follow along with the new settlers. All he could do was perfect his aim while he waited for yet another foreign power to sort this mess out.


	3. Arizona

Fact: As punishment for siding with the Confederacy, Arizona had to surrender enough land to give Nevada a port.

* * *

><p>Dad said she'd fallen in with a bad crowd. It wasn't necessarily her fault, but the fact that she'd joined up meant that she couldn't <em>not<em> be punished for her behavior. It was bad precedent, she was to understand, and it hurt him more than her.

He decided to give her land to a brother who was bad precedent just by wearing the title of state. A sun-baked child without a real population to speak of, who more smirked than smiled.

That he, of all states, got access to her waterway was annoying. She supposed that was the whole point.


	4. Arkansas

Fact: Arkansas is the world's leading producer of bromine at around 40%.

* * *

><p>It'd been frustrating in his big oil days, to have to deal with the brine that came up to be disposed as a byproduct. He was hallway through dumping it when his scientists stopped him with a firm hand. It was gold, nearly, they insisted. They showed him all that he called garbage could create.<p>

And now he processed and harvested it by the ton. It, and by extension he, helped run the world and protect it from danger.

It was, he supposed, just a bit cooler than just pulling up oil. That wasn't bad at all for a by-product.


	5. California

Fact: In a blind tasting to prove English wines superior to French and American, the judges were horrified to find they'd unanimously picked Californian as the winner.

* * *

><p>She always got what she wanted. She wasn't quite sure why everyone kept questioning that. It wasn't like it was something debatable.<p>

Yet, time and again, they put her in competitions like they expected her to lose. European arrogance, she assumed, because what else could it be? She'd explained it to them.

When a blind tasting was set up, she brewed normally and poured them a glass. They rightfully chose her wine as excellent, even after spending so much time turning their noses up at it. It was more than a little satisfying to laugh when they recoiled in horror.


	6. Colorado

Fact: Colorado has more microbreweries than any other state.

* * *

><p>For as much grief as they all got for terrible beer, brewing was a passion of his. To find the perfect blend took just as much research and knowledge as it did creativity. He'd spent more than enough time apprenticing to know that. What he created was art in a glass, regardless of the criticism.<p>

He blamed massive operations in the big cities that'd lost the heart in what they were doing somewhere in the thousands of gallons.

He could only blame them so much, though. When you weren't down in the thick of it anymore, you could lose sight easily.


	7. Connecticut

Fact: The world's first nuclear sub was built in Connecticut.

* * *

><p>The world was changing, faster than before, and dragged their style of warfare along with it. What little stealth they could get anymore needed to be exploited.<p>

This new technology allowed them to stay deep in the water, where boats couldn't see and fire immediately. It seemed long enough, now, to make some real progress before they were discovered.

It was a conflict where every little bit mattered. They might lose, still, but at least his developments would give them a chance to go down swinging.


	8. Delaware

Fact: The First State is the only one without a national park.

* * *

><p>They called it a budget thing, when they weren't nitpicking the very definition of the term. They pushed size with grins and winks, and notoriety with laughter. He'd have expected for respect for all the things he'd done for them, if he didn't know his siblings well enough.<p>

The only thing he could do was continue to push his way through congress, and ignore the setbacks as his bills were tagged to unpopular things.

If he was patient, they would give in, even more so if he convinced them that it was their idea. He knew that they always did.


	9. Florida

Fact: Florida's state gem is the moonstone, despite the fact that it isn't found in Florida.

* * *

><p>Much as he built himself up in amusement parks and other aptly named 'tourist traps', the sky was his. He explored the stars and catalogued them in ways that other states could only dream about. He'd bounded on the moon, and watched the deep recesses of space unfurl before his eyes.<p>

Given how much of his exploratory heritage he carried out, it was only fitting that he take the moon stone as his own.

Other states, all too smugly, pointed out that it was neither Floridian nor lunar.

He told them to shut up about it, and hoped they would.


	10. Georgia

Fact: The first (from conception) women's only college was the first to grant women with BA's, and also to create sororities.

* * *

><p>It was an experiment, he explained to everyone who felt the need to ask (there were more than a few). It'd never been done before, at least not so strictly, it may as well be attempted if he had the resources to do that. Nothing said that he was going to stick with it, even if it was the plan he didn't bother to tell them about.<p>

It would be a small graduating class, but if everything went well he was sure it would grow.

At the least, it would when others became convinced that there would be parties later.


	11. Hawaii

Fact: Hawaii is the only growing state.

* * *

><p>They all had notches on their door frames, ticked off with a knife because ink faded much too quickly. Some tried to obscure the marks and hide that they'd shrunk over the years, some were proud of how much larger they'd gotten. But they'd all been alive for a very long time, and it'd been quite a while since most of them had grown even slightly. With their territories set, some had forgotten about the nicks at all.<p>

Her doorframe gained a new mark near annually. It might have only been considered a novelty, but she was proud of it.


	12. Idaho

Fact: Sun Vally was the first destination winter resort in the US.

* * *

><p>It was a mix of dehydration and freezing land which gave him the perfect type of powder for skiing. It would be rude to not share it. And if a profit could be made… well, that was a nice bonus. But it was mostly the hospitality thing, of course.<p>

Convincing the others that they should leave their own snow to come visit his was the trick, though. Likewise, to have them understand that palm trees weren't a requirement for a vacation.

What he had to offer was more than good enough, though. He was sure that he'd find a way.


	13. Illinois

Fact: Chicago is also the second city for Poles, as it's only behind Warsaw in concentration.

* * *

><p>You went to New York to make it big, you went to Los Angeles to get discovered, and you went to Chicago to get a job. That's how it'd always been, and she took pride in the fact it remained that way. People came, seeking shelter from war, and she opened her factories to them.<p>

They homed themselves in her heart until she supposed that she, too, was now Polish. Their culture and food became hers, and she raised a glass to toast their holidays. They'd blended together, even if her Polish was still considered a quaint mimicry, at best.


	14. Indiana

Fact: The 'Crossroads of America' not only has the most intersecting highways, it has the highest relative miles of highway in all the states.

* * *

><p>He hated traffic cops, and all the delays they caused. Ticketing was just a make-work operation, but such things were mandatory to keeping an economy going (his bosses liked to remind him of that). He couldn't exactly get rid of it, no matter how much he'd like to.<p>

He could, though, circumvent it. He raised the speed, and exploited extra miles per hour for all they were worth.

He flew across the crossroads which led everywhere he could want to go, even if he didn't know them yet. He didn't have a clue where, exactly, but he'd get there quickly.


	15. Iowa

Fact: Fort Atkinson was the only one the United States created to protect the native tribes.

* * *

><p>The natives were still his people, even if they weren't exactly the same sort of people he'd become used to protecting. They'd been pushed by his family, up until then, but it was principle once they were in his house. If they were being pushed around by tribes which were unnecessarily aggressive, then it was his duty to allow them some shelter.<p>

He built the fort up, and dispatched enough troops to keep the onslaught on the peaceful tribes at bay.

It might not have been enough, he didn't know yet. But, at the least, he'd make a solid effort.


	16. Kansas

Fact: The Hugoton Gas Field is the largest in the US.

* * *

><p>It wasn't oil, which was a far more profitable and she supposed 'sexier' way to make your money. That sort of thing always drew in strangers in droves, though. She wasn't a bigger fan of that now than she had been as a territory. Unfortunately, when you were the largest supplier of anything at all, isolation was fairly tricky to pull off.<p>

She was fine supplying just enough to the others that they would stay where they were.

Considering they processed the gas in their own homes, and left her to her mining, it must have been the right balance.


	17. Kentucky

Fact: Kentucky had more casualties in the War of 1812 than all the other states combined.

* * *

><p>According to her elders, they'd won mostly from luck rather than skill. That, and wearing their opponent out until he was just too annoyed to keep going.<p>

It'd only lasted so long, though, because he was back and far more serious than he'd been before. He'd made deals with the native tribes, who'd teamed up somehow. They came as quickly as the ones who poured in from the Canadas.

The weight of protecting their freedom was put heavily upon her shoulders. Not that she minded so much. This was her home, her family. It was her duty to protect it.


	18. Louisiana

Fact: True to its French heritage, Louisiana is the only state to have provinces instead of counties and refer to the Napoleonic Code within its constitution.

* * *

><p>The land had literally been cut for her. They built a state as if this invisible border could somehow contain the French influence. Seeing as the other members were, for the most part, former Englishmen she was fine with that.<p>

With the ability to be independent under this country, she stuck with what she'd always known. She mixed the French they were terrified of with the rest of her heritage, and built herself up.

That this made it more difficult for outsiders to cross the line they'd so firmly built to keep her out wasn't a problem in her eyes.


	19. Maine

Fact: Because of land configuration, Maine is world renowned for clean water.

* * *

><p>Her land was a civ, and worked around the clock to give her the most spectacular water she'd ever found. She sold it to the Europeans as a cure-all, which worked well until they realized filtration was important and created an artificial method. The magic of clean water became too wide-spread to count for anything. Monetarily, at least.<p>

She changed her method of marketing from medicine to a regular beverage, which was fine by her. They might have figured out to replicate the method she'd been blessed with, but there was no way they could compete with her on flavor.


	20. Maryland

Fact: Fort Meade in Maryland was built because deliverymen kept confusing Meade, Maryland for Fort Meade in Floria.

* * *

><p>It wasn't as if she didn't like getting extra supplies. Every bit helped, especially when dealing with war. Handling the angry letters from Florida, though, where Spanish and English became indecipherably mixed in his rage was the annoying part. She couldn't let it go on any longer.<p>

She tried explaining it to the courier, but as soon as one was set straight another took his place. Angry letters would inevitably follow, and she'd need a translator to answer.

There was no way to win this fight. Maryland grumbled and built the fort that everyone insisted existed that far up north.


	21. Massachusetts

Fact: Massachusetts created the first college and public school in the country.

* * *

><p>The whole thing was meant to teach the Bible, of course. Pretty much every aspect of life surrounded the scripture in some way or another. To not be able to read it would be disgraceful and unfulfilling. Children were pulled in from the fields, and studied readers in between harvests.<p>

He expanded it into a world-renowned university which pushed the boundaries of its ivy covered walls. Some of the brightest walked through his quad before they expanded across the globe.

It was satisfying, how far he'd come. He'd have to push much harder to top it in the future, though.


	22. Michigan

Fact: Despite embracing the animal, the last known wolverine in Michigan died in 2010.

* * *

><p>It'd been over 2 centuries since he'd seen one ambling along the frozen landscape; even though it'd been a long time since he'd depended on the fur trade. When one was finally spotted, people told him it had probably just escaped from a cage. The lonely female was probably not even American. Likely, they said, it'd escaped from across the border.<p>

He didn't care either way; it was exhilarating to see his namesake again. Even if the whole thing had started because of insults, it was his.

It was very difficult to re-apply the label of 'extinct' during the necropsy.


	23. Minnesota

Fact: Minnesota is home to several medical firsts, including: bone marrow transplants, use of artificial blood, and open heart surgery.

* * *

><p>'This was revolutionary,' the voice in the back of his mind said. This would change the world of medicine, and likewise the world, if he were successful.<p>

He tried to focus on the thumping organ beneath him. Revolutionary was fine and all, but there was a life beneath his scalpel. He couldn't be distracted by fame, or anything like it.

It was only as he was lacing up his work that he allowed himself to get excited. The rest of the world was going to be _so_ into him.

… As long as this guy survived post-op, he reminded himself.


	24. Mississippi

Fact: Mississippi is, per capita, the poorest and fattest state.

* * *

><p>Food was an art form she took very seriously. There were people who considered that a problem for whatever reason, probably because a lot of them couldn't master it as well as she did. They threw money around to eat like rabbits instead of enjoying themselves with what they could get otherwise.<p>

She made magic with what she could afford to get. That she had to do so wasn't necessarily a good thing, she knew. But it was by no means as disastrous as they liked to complain it was.

She returned to her catfish, and tuned their criticism out.


	25. Missouri

Fact: The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis is credited with popularizing and commercializing iced tea.

* * *

><p>It was nice to have the world's eye on him for a while, after being over-shadowed by his peers with their much larger (and, they insisted, better) cities. These hosting duties weren't that hard, either. Just provide food and entertainment, and it all fell into place.<p>

He wished that it wasn't so ungodly hot right now, though. It made people retreat indoors and, even worse, leave the grounds early.

Tea over ice had always been a novel idea, not one he was eager to push. He didn't have many options right now, though. Hopefully, he'd make some money off it.


	26. Montana

Fact: The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American gem in the Crown Jewels.

* * *

><p>He hadn't been born until the business with the English was contained above the border and the business with the French had been sent back to Europe. It wasn't that Europeans weren't around, still, but there were few who cared enough to do business with him.<p>

He settled for it being mutual, as he had too many things on his mind to bother with people who weren't interested in trading. The coasts, seemingly happily, could deal with them.

That he gave the English a jewel to their crown was irony, he was told. He didn't care much to argue it.


	27. Nebraska

Fact: Nebraska was responsible for nearly half of the US' ammunition in WWII.

* * *

><p>Their days of isolationism were long gone. And, with how things were moving, it didn't look like it was going to go back. Against their better judgment, they were once again going deep into the mess which was Europe.<p>

So, now, it was time to build she supposed. With factories and women, she churned out as much artillery as she could to help the boys who'd left them for overseas.

If they were going to be mandated to be over there, their soldiers were going to depend on the home-front. She had to at least do her part, she supposed.


	28. Nevada

Fact: Nevada was refered to as 'hell' by the Deseret mormons

* * *

><p>When he'd fled from his sister, he'd gone into the desert because she wouldn't follow him there. He wasn't stupid enough not to know why.<p>

She stood on the border, and told him he could still come back into the fold with minimal punishment. She offered the food and water he couldn't readily gather.

Even if he was weak, he was free from her religion and rules out in the desert. She told him he'd die, and maybe he would, but he didn't care.

Until then, he'd smile and welcome her to hell every time she dared crossover.


	29. New Hampshire

Fact: The Russo-Japanese War, the only foreign war to officially conclude on US soil, was hosted in Portsmouth.

* * *

><p>He put out tea, because he knew it was important to others, and snacks because it was polite. None of his siblings had ever hosted something like this, so it wasn't like he could ask about a more extravagant protocol.<p>

He figured he could simply handle this like a normal meeting. Tea and coffee, keep the representatives proctored and civil. Only hosting the event, and not even being near the combatants, he didn't have much more interest in it than that.

Still, if only for the sake of not getting a headache, he hoped it all went well.


	30. New Jersey

Fact: New York and New Jersey have been in a battle over what is now Ellis Island for almost 340 years.

* * *

><p>The land was his, historically, and New York was just a pushy asshole deaf to the word no. His siblings all knew this from their own run-ins with him. The whole world knew this, even if they'd never met him. Yet, when he insisted they choose him over his brother, he was ignored as if the concept of New York taking something that wasn't his was unusual.<p>

He would continue to fight, because it was righteous to, but he wasn't sure if he'd ever get it back.

There was no fighting him, New York would remind him with a grin.


	31. New Mexico

Fact: A cub rescued from a fire in Lincoln National Forrest inspired the creation of Smokey the Bear.

* * *

><p>The cub she'd discovered was dyed black from the soot it'd been surrounded in. Its mother was gone, consumed by the fire if she hadn't been driven out of the forest fast enough. The cub cried as New Mexico cleaned it with a warm cloth. The way she was clung to was more thanks than she's ever received from a person.<p>

She held him close, and promised to do all she could not to make any more orphans. If that meant a national campaign, she'd hesitantly step into the spotlight.

The whole pants thing, though, had been someone else's idea.


	32. New York

Fact: New York City was the first (short lived) capital of the United States.

* * *

><p>This newly-minted country needed to be united, empowered, and expanded. They needed a capital to do that. Being incredible (and incredibly welcoming), he offered his own building for it. Naturally, they accepted.<p>

He built them up, proudly, and watched the country flourish under his care.

The mumbling about a move to Philadelphia started softly at first, but grew steadily. Someone, he didn't know who, was outfitting a building to accommodate them.

He scoffed at it. How could they possibly top everything he'd given them, after all?

He figured it was a joke, despite the fact that nobody else was laughing.


	33. North Carolina

Fact: Sherman's march up the eastern coast covered 4 states, but only destroyed 3.

* * *

><p>She'd resisted as long as she could, but in the end he was her brother. It wasn't like she could abandon him, even if what he was doing was against her own beliefs. That she was sandwiched between some rather vicious states didn't help matters.<p>

She gave them men, and sat back to watch the carnage in other places. She watched the union army march through and burn them to the ground.

The bracing she'd done for her own turn was unnecessary, as they passed through with their eyes set firmly on Virginia.

She supposed that was for the best.


	34. North Dakota

Fact: The world's largest flipped hamburger (3591 lbs) was made in Rutland. The grill is still on display.

* * *

><p>It was officially the most American thing which had ever existed, and he was positive no one would be able to come up with something more. Thousands of pounds of ground beef sizzled on the specially-made grill, and far more people watched in anticipation.<p>

He grinned as he watched it flip, as he'd known quite well that it would.

How many would join him to finish it off was the question. He didn't like outsiders much, but there was no way he could finish this much patriotism on his own.


	35. Ohio

Fact: The border conflict between Michigan and Ohio drew troops from both sides, and required federal intervention.

* * *

><p>He'd just decided Toledo was his, without any sort of hinting that he'd planned to take it. For a territory, and a poor one at that, this was unimaginably presumptuous. Ohio was quick to tell him so.<p>

She hadn't expected him to meet her surveyors with soldiers set to guard what he'd declared was his. Not that it mattered much, she had her own (better) army.

It was her port, after all. She'd use all the power a state (and not a lame territory) had to remind him of that.

She was sure he'd give up quickly, and go away.


	36. Oklahoma

Fact: Boise City was the only town in the US bombed during WWII.

* * *

><p>They needed to be tested, Dad had insisted, before they were entrusted to take care of the Germans. If they weren't reliable, it'd put good boys in danger that was completely unnecessary. A small sacrifice to keep them out of danger wasn't that much to ask, was it?<p>

Dad wouldn't say why, exactly, it had to be in _his_ house; especially when there was so much empty desert where this sort of thing had been tested already. He wasn't sure he necessarily wanted an answer to that question (it couldn't be good).

He'd just grit his teeth and bear it.


	37. Oregon

Fact: Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.

* * *

><p>They were spooky, which was a sad and far too obvious thing to say. It was true, though, and he figured that's why it'd become a cliché.<p>

He walked through streets which had once been bustling, and was met with hollow wind and a tired creak or two from settling buildings. Swings on playgrounds moved without any of their former urgency now that bells for class never rang.

This place ate at him down to his core. As much as he'd like to revitalize it, and bring life back into the tired streets, he felt compelled to quickly move on.


	38. Pennsylvania

Fact: Pennsylvania was the only original colony not built on the ocean.

* * *

><p>The ocean coast was over-crowded, as his siblings clambered for the right to ports. It was all well and good for them, to make shipping their priority above everything else.<p>

He'd stick with his farmers and miners, thank you. It was more satisfying to keep his hands covered in Earth than to deal with the constant headaches from shipping treaties.

He didn't know if he'd eventually change his mind, though. By then, it might be too late to get a spot…

He was sure it'd work out, though. And. even if it didn't, it sounded more appealing than another fight.


	39. Rhode Island

Fact: The 1st Rhode Island Regiment was the first African-American regiment to fight for the Americans.

* * *

><p>Ideals and passion were great, but he needed men if he was going to survive. He didn't have the sort of bulk his neighbors had to distribute the damage away from his vital areas. Everyone was already stretched thin. He couldn't very well expect to depend on them for help.<p>

He reached out to the slaves in the fields, the freed men who would otherwise have been over-looked.

It was time for people to start acting like Americans. Once the loyalist issues were out of the way, they might be able to stick with that.

He had no promises, though.


	40. South Carolina

Fact: The latest South Carolinian secession plan came early in 2011.

* * *

><p>The country was sinking, yet again. He'd predicted it, and preached the benefits of splitting for real this time. Some of them agreed in mumbles or drunken laughter, but were reluctant to commit to the cause more than that. They cited financial concerns, namely unimaginable repair costs. They talked about stock markets and international trade, now, instead of freedom like they used to.<p>

The dollar was losing value by the day, and it dragged everyone's agreeability along with it.

He offered to provide them a more stable economy, to elevate their concerns. He wasn't sure why they started laughing.


	41. South Dakota

Fact: The highlight of many South Dakota summer festivals is mashed potato wrestling.

* * *

><p>Summer was a fleeting thing. He rushed to get as much work as he could before the winter hit and he was forced to depend on his manufacturing. He wished the winters weren't so rough, sometimes, so he'd have time to breathe. Like the weather they had down south.<p>

He'd seen them laboring endlessly, though, since it was always either a planting or harvesting time. With no differentiation, they whined about the heat instead of cherishing it.

He grinned, and scrapped some stray potato off his cheek.

Summer was fleeting and hard, but he might have been the luckier one.


	42. Tennessee

Fact: Greeneville has the only memorial for both Confederate and Union soldiers.

* * *

><p>He'd played both sides in the war, thanks to his own unfortunate position and indecisiveness. As both of these could have told him, it was destined to do poorly.<p>

He'd watched his men fight, and die, in blue and grey as everyone tried to justify the disease and poverty which now swept through them. The fighting was for the greater good, they both swore. He wasn't sure who, if any of them, he believed.

All he knew was that the men who'd fought for whatever this was over deserved to be remembered.

If nobody else would stand up, he would.


	43. Texas

Fact: A Texan absentee ballot confused the Chilean for the Texan flag for several years.

* * *

><p>He had a reputation to maintain. He'd carefully groomed himself into a chameleon, able to drop his accent and even change his stride to suit the situation. It'd made him rich, and it depended on respect to work.<p>

Other states might not like him, but they damn well knew not to get in his way.

But, if they saw this…

It wasn't his fault, of course. Chile had seen how cool he was and decided to copy him. That had to be it, he told himself, as he erased all memory of it and focused on new business at hand.


	44. Utah

Fact: Utah consumes the most sugar per capita, and leads the country (and sometimes the entire world) in ice cream, marshmallows, and Jell-O.

* * *

><p>There was time enough later, she figured, to 'modernize' like others were insistent on. It was the only way they'd stay at the top of their game in an increasingly competitive world.<p>

She was already working furiously to bring Salt Lake City into technological relevance. She couldn't be expected to put that much effort into every part of her life.

Some things, like comfort foods that got her through her day, were just fine the way they were. And loving things others had gotten over decades ago didn't make her old fashioned.

At least, she was fairly sure it didn't.


	45. Vermont

Fact: Vermont has the highest ratio of cows to people in the states.

* * *

><p>Everything was about a balance. When you were born specifically to stop squabbling between two greedy siblings, it was a decided way of life.<p>

It was why her cows were kept in a ratio that was easy to manage, even if the other cattlemen said it was too high. It was why she carefully managed her ice cream sales, and rid the excess into the mouths of her swine.

It kept her at peace when her neighbors shouted insults at each other across her home. She could relax with a bowl of hotly-debated ice cream and let it all pass.


	46. Virginia

Fact: Virginia hosted nearly 1/3 of the battles in the Civil War, including nearly half of the major ones.

* * *

><p>It never seemed to stop. War had once been an orderly, honorable thing, but this…<p>

She hadn't expected their freedom to come easily, of course. Her brethren up north were relentless bastards no matter what the argument was. Now that it was severely important to who they were, even more so.

She simply hadn't expected them to have this sort of stamina. She also hadn't anticipated their determination to hit her. After what happened to Maryland, though, she wasn't surprised.

It couldn't be lingered on, though. She had to wrap her wounds quickly because there was a battle to fight.


	47. Washington

Fact: Washington is the least religious of the states.

* * *

><p>Because of it being important to his family, he joined them for services on the holidays. It kept them happy, and generally there was a meal to be had afterwards. Sometimes there were even gifts, but he didn't want to come off as presumptuous (they tended to get pretty angry about that).<p>

He simply preferred to go hiking. Being surrounded by trees and mountains was far more meaningful to him than sitting in some building. Listening to people drone on about stories couldn't compare to seeing the sun rise out of the ocean fog. Maybe that was just him, though.


	48. West Virginia

Fact: The first federal women-only prison was opened in Alderson.

* * *

><p>For as optimistic as she'd like to be about her new independence, there were some things she couldn't avoid. Crime was an unavoidable consequence that she needed to deal with.<p>

Men were prolific, but women committed crimes as well. They couldn't, though, just be kept in the same buildings. Women were different, even criminal ones, and they needed to be treated accordingly. It was about time that someone came to recognize that.

She built specially-suited containment, and the others watched her with curiosity. They called it a social experiment, and maybe it was.

Hopefully, it was going to do well.


	49. Wisconsin

Fact: Green Bay is the smallest city in the country to host a major league sports team.

* * *

><p>He never strove to be fancy, like certain states below him. He worked, came home to a beer (or more), and that was fine. When you built yourself up on the backs of cows and manufacturing, it became a way of life.<p>

Sometimes he watched the lights coming out of Chicago, and wondered what it must be like to have a life like that. Maybe it was jealousy, he didn't explore it much.

He got to watch his team grind others into the dirt. Without even trying he became a force to be reckoned with.

That was more than enough.


	50. Wyoming

Fact: Wyoming has the lowest population of the states, and second only to Alaska in lowest population density.

* * *

><p>He was… not empty. Someone had thrown around the word 'picturesque', and he clung to it because that sounded so nice and inviting.<p>

He was habitable, she had landscape and animals and room to grow. You could get land here, and build a life for yourself without threat from an encroaching city. It was back to the roots of what the country had been, before most everyone had hung up their pitchforks and turned to microchips and whatnot.

That was important, too, right? He couldn't really ask anyone, he was sure they'd disagree, but he decided that it definitely was.


	51. Bonus: Puerto Rico

Fact: San Juan is not only the oldest city in US territory, it out-dates the earliest attempts of colonizing the states.

* * *

><p>That she'd been offhandedly passed off like spoils of war was a fact she liked to ignore. That it was to a boy didn't help.<p>

She and her siblings had watched the Spaniards try, futility, to colonize what they now called Florida. She watched Alfred grow from a toddler to the man he called himself today.

She had a lot of knowledge he could use. Maybe, eventually, he'd stop seeing her as a prize and understand that.

She watched her 'family' start an eating contest, and irritably doubted that it'd be soon. Until then, she might as well join in.


End file.
